Django Unchained Review

Django Unchained

Starring Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Kerrie Washington, Samuel L. Jackson, and Leonardo DiCaprio. Directed by Quentin Tarantino

Amid plenty of controversy over the use of a certain word, Quentin Tarantino’s Spaghetti Western, Southern Revenge flick, Django Unchained, has finally seen the light of day.  Riddled with plenty of homages to the genre films of yesteryear, I could talk about each reference for days, just like any Tarantino film but I don’t have days nor am I a film historian.  I could talk to you about how this film symbolizes Tarantino himself as a filmmaker in the industry, which is a great theory but I would need a day or two to gather my thoughts, but I’d rather talk to you about how great of a film Django Unchained is.  It’s not just great, it’s one of the best films in his catalog. 

Django tells the tale of a slave turned Bounty Hunter trained by a German Dentist, or Bounty Hunter whichever Dr. Schultz prefers, to locate three slave owners.  When the job is done, Schultz agrees to accompany Django to rescue and free his wife from Calvin Candie, a wealthy plantation owner and Mandingo fighting owner.  Let’s just say that things go from crazy to a helluva lot worse over the course of thirty minutes, though the film clocks in at about 2 and a half hours; yep, it’s that intense. 

The movie runs at a good 2 hours and 35 minutes but it doesn’t feel like it’s that long.  Tarantino downfall is that he knows he has a good story and he tries to be coy in writing of certain dialog that may sometime stray beyond the fourth wall, but I can’t fault him on that.  He manages to turn everything into a high stakes game of Roulette with every passing scene, making me skip breaths at certain points throughout the film.  To keep his invested audience from keeling over and dying from anxiety, the film is overflowing with humor to keep things light on their feet, but not too light.  The subject matter behind Django Unchained is something that is quite sensitive to talk about let alone to actually watch it on screen. 

You will not be shown just whippings, like many films has showed us, but the film pulls no punches and shows us what it may have been like for many African Americans.  At times it’s very hard to watch, some scenes require you look away due to the heinousness Tarantino is depicting on screen.  But you have to look, you have to see the hell they’ve been through, the hardships they’ve had to go through, you have to.  If not, if you don’t see every frame, you’re doing yourself an injustice.  It is offensive, yes, but it’s the god-honest truth.  Think of it like Schindler’s List. 

The photography of the landscapes during many of the traveling sequences are spectacular, using mountains, snow, trees and more to shed positive light on two characters with blood on their hands.  Bad blood.  The set pieces are outstanding, transporting the viewer to a time and place they’ve only heard about.  Vivid colors bleed of off the customs and each character has their own distinct palette and wardrobe.  The musical score goes great in every scene utilized but the song choices may be questionable to some people.  In one scene 100 Black Coffins by Rick Ross begins to play.  It was an unwelcomed song choice but director’s choice, right? Another song choice was Unchained, a mash-up of James Brown and 2Pac that had me pumping my fists in the empty air in front of me.  It worked well for the scene, even hyped me up more. 

The acting is exceptional.  Christoph Waltz does an amazing job as Schultz.  From beginning to end I wanted to hear him speak, I wanted to see his every move.  As intriguing as his character was in Inglorious Basterds, Waltz manages to match the electricity in his previous character.   DiCaprio is quite awesome as a man you love to hate to love.  He plays Candies off like a flamboyant villain businessman and scientist who justifies his every motive, though you very much disagree with the man on every level.  He plays every scene with tenacity that every actor he acts with is on his or her toes. The one you will really come out hating is Sam Jackson.  He plays a part that is not much further than his other memorable characters but is very different.  It’s a role that can be played in a much different way but Jackson make the character his own, like he does with every role he chooses.  As for Jamie Foxx, he’s the face of Django.  Originally, Will Smith was set to play Django but I can’t see that now.  Foxx plays off Django with anger that shows up on screen and has the face of a vigilante; a face that looks like it has seen some hard times.  I don’t want to say he was born to play this role but he fits into the role like that perfect sized shoe you try on at the store.  Never liked Kerry Washington as an actress before and the film does little to change that.  Sorry.  I’m sure her role will come someday. It’s not like I’m saying she was terrible or anything like that, she’s fine I just wanted more.  Especially from a man who writes exceptional female characters, I felt Broomhilda was underused.   

Django Unchained is a great film, better than Inglorious, but when compared to his earlier work, there is no comparison.  Django is a new classic for a new generation and it shows that Tarantino has grown up from a simple diamond heist film to a grand ole big budget historical revenge flick.  Pulp Fiction is held on another class compared to Django, a higher class, but that doesn’t mean Django isn’t worthy of a place on the mantle.  Django shows that Tarantino still has the gull to show us anything and we will enjoy it.  Someone get that man a crown, King Midas is here.  For Spike Lee who calls the film disrespectful, he should see it to form a real opinion.  It’s either that or